Arman Tsarukyan shares shocking details of Khamzat Chimaev’s brutal cut
Arman Tsarukyan has given more insight into Khamzat Chimaev’s brutal weight cut ahead of UFC 328.
This past weekend at UFC 328, Chimaev lost his middleweight title to Sean Strickland by split decision. The bout was closely contested, in which Chimaev chose to stand and trade instead of his usual wrestling-heavy style.
Many fans also noticed from the 32-year-old’s body language that he looked extremely drained, likely due to a tough weight cut.
Now, Arman Tsarukyan has discussed how brutal the Chechen-born Emirati’s weight cut really was.
On the JAXXON Podcast, “Ahalkalakets” revealed that Khamzat Chimaev cut 40 pounds in total for UFC 328, but on the last day, he had to cut nearly 13 pounds.
As per the Armenian, the first phase of the weight cut, where Chimaev dropped 9 pounds, was easy. However, after that, the last 4 pounds were a nightmare, and “Borz” did not want to cut further weight. However, his team ultimately urged him to reach the required limit. Tsarukyan said:
“From day 1 of his training camp, he cut 40lbs. He had to cut 13lbs on the last day. The first 9lbs was easy and he felt bad during the night, and then he woke up and said, ‘I feel so weak and have no energy. I don’t know how I’m gonna cut this 4lbs.’ He didn’t wanna finish the cut, but the team pushed him.”
Check out Arman Tsarukyan’s comments about Khamzat Chimaev below:
Arman Tsarukyan believes Khamzat Chimaev beat Sean Strickland at UFC 328
After the brutal weight cut, as per Arman Tsarukyan, Khamzat Chimaev felt good the next morning, but during the fight, he gassed out in Round 1 and then chose to strike with Sean Strickland.
Tsarukyan and the camp expected that “Borz,” who was going all out during training sessions, could do the same during his title fight and could go hard for five rounds against “Tarzan.” However, the Armenian believes it’s most likely the weight cut that forced Chimaev to change his approach.
Lastly, “Ahalkalakets” added during the same interview posted above that in a close fight, a champion should retain his belt, and according to his analysis, Chimaev beat Strickland.
Check out Arman Tsarukyan’s comments below:
